Michael ‘Wippa’ Wipfli, co-host of Nova 96.9’s Sydney breakfast show, and Rob Galluzzo, founder of production company FINCH, have partnered to launch 36 Months, an initiative aiming to change legislation to increase the age of social media citizenship from 13 to 16. 

The pro bono social change movement, which is supported by News Corp Australia and NOVA Entertainment, is calling on families, community leaders and educators to sign the 36 Months change.org petition that will be taken to parliament.

Wipfli and Galluzzo have already recruited key figures across entertainment, education, and politics to the cause, including author and parenting expert Maggie Dent, former Premier of NSW and member for Epping, The Hon. Dominic Perrottet, and media personality, Hamish Blake. 

“We’re already in talks with major policymakers identifying the steps needed to change the official entry age for kids starting their own social media accounts,” said Wipfli.

Research links social media’s impact to the critical phase of psychological development, particularly during the 36 months between the ages of 13 and 16. 

Social media is currently used by 92% of Australian teens aged 15 to 16 years old, 59% of those aged 11 to 12 years old, and 29% of kids aged 9 to 10 years old.

Research from the University of Sydney reveals Australians aged 14 and above spend an average of six hours a week on social media, and the eSafety Commissioner’s Digital Lives of Aussie Kids reports that 12 to 13-year-olds use an average of 3.1 social media services.

According to Raising Children Network, the rise of social media usage has been linked to mental health issues, cyberbullying, anxiety, depression, self-harm, and suicide in Australian teenagers. 

“As parents, we want to give our kids the best shot at becoming resilient and independent adults,” Galluzzo said.

Galluzzo is on the board of directors for The Liv Project, a non-profit organisation for the prevention of youth suicide, and his documentary, My Sister Liv, revealed the realities of stigma and struggles of mental health, and the devastating aftermath after a death from suicide.

He is also co-founder of The Lion’s Share, the UN initiative to protect the lives of endangered animals worldwide (Sir David Attenborough was ambassador).

“The prevalent issue of excessive social media use contributing to heightened anxiety among teenagers is a growing concern for many parents and educators,” he continued.

“The aim of 36 Months is to provide a safer environment where kids can foster a secure identity and healthy emotional development by raising the threshold of social media citizenship.”

Further research commissioned by News Corp Australia surveyed over 3,000 social media users, including teenagers, and found that 70% of Australian teenagers have had negative experiences using social media, and a third have been exposed to disturbing or traumatic content.

A quarter of respondents have been cyber-bullied or harassed, and 1 in 10 have been victim of revenge porn.

“We’re raising an anxious generation. We want our kids to discover themselves, before the world discovers them,” Wipfli added.

“Families I speak with across Australia daily reveal serious, grave concerns for their teenagers due to the effects of social media. 

“36 Months strives to create a supportive platform for teenagers to cultivate a secure identity and navigate the digital landscape with resilience and mindfulness.”

He explained that the initial phase of the 36 Months campaign calls for federal policy change that will safeguard the developmental journey of Australian teens. 

Stage two is aimed at offering families and educators ideas and initiatives that enables them to better connect with teens. 

Dent commented that “while tech companies continue to make profits off social media despite the strong evidence of the harm they are causing, we need a collective effort to protect our kids and a ban is one step that can help.” 

Former premier Perrottet added: “36 Months is the beginning of a crucial movement in prioritising the wellbeing of our adolescents. 

“By advocating for a policy shift to delay social media access until the age of 16, we are taking a significant step towards safeguarding the mental and emotional development of our youth – now and in the future.”

–

Top image: Rob Galluzzo and Michael ‘Wippa’ Wipfli

ARN has confirmed that it is “still considering options in relation to alternative proposals to acquire SCA” in an update to the ASX this morning.

After the withdrawal of Anchorage Capital Partners (ACP) from the proposed $250 million deal that would have seen ARN and Anchorage acquire SCA, an Alternative Indicative Proposal was put forward by ARN.

In a statement to the ASX last week, SCA said that while it “remains open to considering proposals that would deliver fair value and be in the best interests of all SCA shareholders,” ARN’s alternate proposal “does not satisfy either of these requirements.”

Due to that decision, SCA added it had “determined not to engage on any future proposal which may be provided by ARN in terms consistent with the Alternative Indicative Proposal.” 

Anchorage originally withdrew its involvement in the potential deal due to “continued decline in the trading performance of regional TV.”

In a statement, Anchorage said that since the Consortium Proposal was made in October 2023, “the further deteriorating outlook for regional TV, and the existing long-term contractual obligation of SCA for outsourced TV broadcast transmission” were the major reasons “it does not support ACP’s regional TV investment thesis.”

ARN has said it “will keep the market informed in the event of any material developments.”

Josh Szeps surprised his Sydney ABC Radio audience in November last year when he quit live on air. “I’m an ABC presenter but I don’t like kale,” was one of his memorable lines at the time.

In explaining he didn’t feel comfortable continuing at the broadcaster, he added: “I’m a misfit. I’m a child of refugees, but I’m a white Australian. I’m a gay guy, but I hate Mardi Gras. I have holocaust surviving grandparents but I’m conflicted about Zionism.

“I am a riddle wrapped in a bloody enigma. If you think that being a team player is the highest virtue, good for you. But don’t pretend to be a journalist. Journalism needs more contrarians, not fewer. More risk takers, not fewer.”

See also:
Josh Szeps quits live on air, promotes new venture
Complete exit broadcast: ABC Radio Sydney loses Josh Szeps

Josh Szeps at the ABC

Risk-taking venture

As Szeps announced his departure, he also mentioned his then-new side hustle.

He indicated his Uncomfortable Conversations business was already performing well financially.

His Substack home now indicates there are 19,000+ subscribers. Some of them not paying, but others on deals costing either $110 annually, or $375 for the “Hero of Sanity” package.

The numbers spiked after Szeps left the ABC and are growing at close to 40% monthly. He attributes part of that growth to friends in the US who have Szeps as a podcast guest.

In 2022 Szeps was a memorable guest on Joe Rogan. There was an argument about vaccinations that many people heard. More recently Szeps co-hosted the Sam Harris podcast Making Sense twice in the past couple of months, one of the biggest intellectual podcasts in the world.

He’s also been a guest on other established shows – Chris Williamson’s podcast, Modern Wisdom, and TRIGGERnometry, a British YouTube show and podcast.

See also: Josh Szeps on being on the biggest podcast in the world

What happened to Szeps at the ABC?

Several years ago you couldn’t turn on the ABC without catching Szeps. He co-hosted ABC Breakfast on weekend mornings. He was the fill-in announcer for all of ABC Sydney timeslots ranging from breakfast to mornings to where he eventually ended up in afternoons. Traditionally the toughest slot at any talk radio station.

Szeps seemed the natural choice for Sydney breakfast after Robbie Buck and Wendy Harmer departed. Instead, James Valentine got that gig for two years until it was handed over to talk radio newcomer Craig Reucassel.

Szeps doesn’t want to discuss the past. He told Mediaweek he’s moved on, very successfully it seems. We met the broadcaster at one of his new meeting rooms – a table at an inner-west café.

Seizing the opportunity

“Before I was offered the afternoon slot on ABC Radio Sydney, I identified a gap in the market for conversations that were a bit more real than the kinds of conversations that we tend to hear on radio and TV,” Szeps told Mediaweek.

“I thought, we really need to find a way to have conversations that may not necessarily be uncomfortable in their own right, but that are about subjects that make people uncomfortable when they come up at a lunch or a barbie or a dinner party or at the pub.

“I’d got a sense that it’s becoming increasingly hard to speak in ways that are free from bullshit, and that are free from pegging oneself as a member of a particular tribe.”

First Uncomfortable Conversation: Stan Grant

Szeps helped create HuffPost Live, an ambitious live audio streaming platform based out of New York a decade ago. Now he was launching something for himself.

“I came out of the gate in 2021 with an episode with Stan Grant, where the two of us wrestled in really honest ways about race.

“That project has continued with a series of successes beyond my wildest dreams. We’re now past 10 million downloads, it’s one of the most listened-to Australian interview shows in the world.

“I’ve been able to retain and expand my American audience, which is about 40% of the audience.

“Last year when it became clear that my relationship with the ABC was falling apart, I doubled down on the podcast, and launched a YouTube channel.”

He didn’t share just how many people pay. But Szeps did say when asked if the subscription money was paying the bills: “It’s paying the bills better than the ABC did. Significantly better.”

What are the podcasts about?

It says it on the tin – Uncomfortable Conversations.

“To survive in the 21st century, we all have to grow up a bit and have conversations that are hard to have. [We should stop] being hunkered down in our opposing tribal camps, demonising views we disagree with, and virtue signalling to people on our side of the aisle that we’re on the right team, and we’re on the right side of history.”

Referring to “legacy media”, Szeps said: “If you read certain publications or turn on certain channels, you can pretty much jot on the back of a napkin before you turn on roughly what their take is going to be on the budget, or the climate, or energy policy, or corporate tax cuts.

“It’s surreal that if you tell me what you think about corporate tax cuts, I can predict with some certainty what you think about climate change. The two have nothing to do with each other.

“We’ve fallen into this lazy habit of aligning ourselves with a set of checkboxes and ticking the correct positions on trends, on the gender wage gap, on acknowledgements of country, on immigration, on nuclear power, where you can pretty much safely guess where an individual or a media outlet is going to align.

“My goal is just to scramble the checkboxes and pursue the most reasonable outcomes as I see them. And my audience doesn’t necessarily need to agree with me.”

The subscriber package

Without paying, Uncomfortable Conversation subscribers get the flagship podcast for free, or most of it. Close to the end of most episodes, the audio cuts out with a message about subscribing. Audio that’s available on all podcast platforms.

There are also video podcasts available on Szeps’ YouTube page. He has a number he filmed on a recent trip to New York that will be released shortly.

What a subscription will get listeners is an ad-free environment for the audio and the video. There is also the complete flagship podcast plus a bonus podcast episode every week.

There is also a regular email newsletter that goes out to subscribers.

Talkback TV

The latest initiative is Uncomfortable Conversations Live, a talkback TV program. The first episode was earlier this month, the second is this week on May 23. The shows are timed at 9am in eastern Australia, a time that also works for the considerable audience Szeps has listening in the US.

“I love talkback, I love talking to the audience. I want to create a forum where the audience can chat with me about the big issues of the day, rather than it always being one-on-one with experts.”

Clips from the videos go up on Instagram, X and TikTok. “We’ve only just started on TikTok. We just got a video that had over a million views. It was from the Jimmy Carr episode.”

Team Szeps

There is a small team helping out on Uncomfortable Conversations. The podcast sits on the DM Podcasts network. A platform that is also home to podcasters ranging from The Betoota Advocate to Leigh Sales and Annabel Crabb (Chat 10 Looks 3) to Gideon Haigh and Pete Lalor (Cricket Et Al).

Live shows

Szeps also hosts live podcast shows around Australia. In partnership with TEG Dainty, that live tour circuit has already seen him on the road with Douglas Murray this year. “I want to get to a point in the next few years where audiences will come out and see an Uncomfortable Conversations live show because of the branding. They’ll know that I’ll be having a really interesting conversation with someone who’s going to be stimulating and unusual and saying things they haven’t heard a million times before.”

Boomtown has launched a new multi-channel campaign featuring the brand positioning, Population: Unexpected, and created by Thinkerbell.

The new campaign is designed to celebrate and reinforce the opportunity that advertising in regional Australia offers businesses. The campaign aims to bust regional stereotypes and demonstrate how similar the regional population of Australia is to their metro counterparts.

Boomtown marketing lead, Leanne Glamuzina, said: “Boomtown’s new campaign, reminds, educates and we hope, excites, business and brand owners about the power of advertising in Boomtown, with a creative idea and execution that’s relevant and relatable for marketers and media planners and buyers.

“We arrived at the new positioning Population: Unexpected because people living and working in regional areas aren’t what many brands and business owners think they are. The research continues to confirm that regional audiences are similar, if not arguably better, consumers than their metro counterparts.”

The campaign features a collection of Boomtown residents in their respective regional areas coming together in a series of ads. The film creative is led by Aussie media personality, Flex Mami.

The campaign comes as Boomtown marks its five-year anniversary in-market.

Boomtown chairman, Brian Gallagher, said: “What Boomtown has achieved over the past five years is nothing short of remarkable. Regional Australia is now firmly on the agenda for brands, with our research showing that 93% of advertisers say regional media is effective in achieving ROI and 88% saying they would consider it in their next campaign.

“Still, the fact remains that despite more than a third of the Australian population living in regional areas, only 17% of national media budgets are invested there. For brands, it means if you’re not advertising in Boomtown, you’re missing out on more than a third of your potential audience.

“We trust that this campaign will open up conversations with influential media buyers and brands, who have not yet considered regional in their media strategies and encourage them to rethink the significant potential that is waiting for them.”

Residents starring in the campaign include Novocastrians Dan and Nico who run Lord Coffee Café in Newcastle, drag queen Timberlina and DJ Justin, Gold Coast artist Tal, Geelong actor, attorney and former national-level runner Yohan, and artist/designer Emily.

Credits:

Creative Agency: Thinkerbell
Production Agency: Red Engine
Director: Husien Alicaj
Photographer: Nicholas Wilson
Boomtown team: Leanne Glamuzina, Madeleine Gregorio

It’s been a year of growth and transformation for dentsu Queensland and its people, which managing director Chris Ernst credits to the agency’s journey of simplifying its business offering and employee proposition.

“There’d probably be a keyring for the keys to that success,” Ernst joked.

He explained to Mediaweek that the agency “created one emotional connection between one group of people to one business, which truly brought us together as a group of people.”

Among its recent achievements, dentsu Queensland was the #1 agency in Queensland in Media NPS in the media i report, and has clocked up 30% headcount growth, continued revenue growth, client wins, and successful campaigns.

A big part of this success, Ernst explained, has been creating a culture that has fostered the growth and development of its people. “Culture is a by-product of different inputs, behaviours, and commitments we make to each other,” Ernst said.

“We’ve co-created a lot of that in this business. I think that has resulted in a great sense of ownership, psychological safety, and trust within the business.”

Over the last 12 months, the agency has leaned into its Japanese heritage with Origami, a personal development program that focuses on the ‘whole person’ growth.

This includes a clear vision for the agency, a transparent hiring process, investment in self-discovery, commitment to doing good for society, and empowerment of emerging leaders.

General manager Emily Cook told Mediaweek: “We know that not everyone’s going to work with this organisation for their entire careers, and that’s okay. We want to make sure their time with us is the most transformative of their careers, and we can support that growth.”

Cook called the Origami growth journey “potent and powerful” and said the agency’s “goal planning is anchored in our people first and foremost,” which leads to business outcomes and stronger and deeper connections with current clients.

Origami has also enabled dentsu Queensland to focus on giving back to communities through its work with UnLtd., Deadly Science, and Share The Dignity.

The growth program has fostered its leaders, three of whom are finalists in Mediaweek‘s upcoming Next of The Best Awards, to be held on 13 June at Sydney’s Ivy Ballroom.

See also: Finalists revealed for Mediaweek’s Next of the Best Awards

Ernst called it “an incredibly proud moment“ for dentsu Queensland. He applauded Cook, group strategy director Cameron Law, and strategic partnerships director Emilia Ball for their “well-deserved recognition”.

Cook, who joined dentsu Queensland three years ago and was appointed general manager last year, said the “energy and potency“ of the agency’s people makes them stand out in the market.

Ernst added that this reflected the agency’s shared feelings of trust, empowerment, courage, and bravery.

Such energy has resulted in business success, the duo said, including winning Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ) in late 2022.

Ernst revealed that winning the TEQ tender was the “proudest moment of my time here.”

“It was not in the pitch, but it was leaving because this place [the office] erupted as we left; everyone was cheering us on. And it didn’t matter what happened next, but we felt like we’d succeeded in what we’d set out to do.”

See also: dentsu Queensland adds Tourism and Events QLD to client roster

‘Fiercely local’ and ‘proudly global’

It’s a challenging economic climate, and a challenging time for the dentsu network in Australia. Recently, Dentsu Media CEO Danny Bass and Merkle CEO Steve Yurisich exited the business as it made 50 roles redundant, including vacancies, freelancing arrangements, and contracts.

The restructure resulted in the creation of two streams: client counsel and commercial, and product and practices, led respectively by Fiona Johnston, formerly Bass’ direct report as chief client officer, and Kirsty Muddle, formerly Bass’ creative counterpart as Dentsu Creative CEO.

Despite the disruption, Ernst said dentsu Queensland has been producing “some of the best work that I think we’ve ever done in terms of thinking, collaborating and connecting with clients, agency partners, and publishers to ensure we bring work to life that will deliver impact and growth.”

Ernst added that the heightened focus on squeezing the most out of every opportunity has deepened dentsu’s partnerships.

“Not to say that there isn’t [economic and marketing spend] pressure, because there is, but it’s created opportunities for great work, which we’ve seen in this business over the last 12 months.”

That work includes campaigns like Brisbane Favours the Bold for the Brisbane Economic Development Agency and Experience Gold Coast.

Ernst said both campaigns were top examples of creative and media collaboration. He also hinted at new work, which will soon be released. “I would just say, watch this space.”

Cook noted that the agency is proving it is solving business challenges by leveraging the network’s national and global teams, being both “fiercely local“ and “proudly global.“

‘We are inspired by the people we work with and for’

Looking to the year ahead, Ernst and Cook shared a positive outlook for the agency, its people, and its work.

“We’ve had a wonderful start to this year,“ Ernst said. “Our people are engaged, and as a leadership team, we are inspired by the people we work with and for. We have a great, diverse set of clients and are tackling unique challenges.“

Cook said the agency will continue to find growth opportunities for its people.

“Our people need exposure to interesting clients and work to push themselves and understand the connected capabilities we offer.

“That fires up our people to ensure their time here at dentsu Queensland is one of strong transforming growth for them.”

The agency’s next 12 months will focus on producing great work and seizing opportunities to grow its business sustainably and strategically.

“If we can do it, our business will be a great place, and we will provide great opportunities for our people over the next 12 months, and that’s our focus,” Ernst said.

While the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games are eight years away, Ernst added the growth story for Brisbane is happening now.

“We’re the fastest growing city in the country, with massive projected economic growth, a $25 billion infrastructure pipeline, the fastest growing working population.

“Brisbane is firing right now. And dentsu Queensland is a great reflection of that.”

–

Top image: Chris Ernst and Emily Cook

Mediaweek has unveiled its raft of industry-leading sponsors for the upcoming Next of the Best Awards.

Platinum sponsors include News Corp, Think News Brands, and Blis, while the award show’s gold sponsors include NBCUniversal, Meltwater, Pinterest, The Brag, TrinityP3, and Sound Story.

The awards show will be held on 13 June at The Ivy Ballroom in Sydney. Event details and tickets are available here.

Earlier this month, Mediaweek revealed the finalists for the show, featuring current and future leaders like Poppy Reid, Jaimes Leggett, Georgie Tunny, Henry Innis, and more.

The current and future leaders’ entries were assessed by an all-star judging panel, and a final round of judging is currently being held to decide on the winners, who will be announced at the awards night.

The Next of the Best Awards celebrate the leaders of today and tomorrow – those who are shaping the advertising, media, and marketing landscape.

This year, Mediaweek has removed the age-based criteria and will now will recognise individuals across the media, marketing, and advertising landscape who demonstrate influence and leadership skills in driving the industry forward – whether through innovative thinking, new approaches to content, driving culture, pushing boundaries, or providing inspiration to others.

The Next of the Best Awards categories span all areas of the media, advertising and marketing industry, including ad tech, audio, creative agency, data and research, marketing, media agency, new business, sales, social media, TV, PR and publishing.

There are also award categories recognising people driving culture within their organisations, and our industry’s change-makers and overall leaders.

To learn more about Mediaweek‘s Next of the Best Awards 2024, click here.

See also:
Finalists revealed for Mediaweek’s Next of the Best Awards
Mediaweek reveals full judging line-up for Next of the Best Awards
Why Mediaweek’s Next of the Best Awards ditched the under 40s format

Nine’s director of sales – total television, Richard Hunwick, is stepping down from the role after 24 years with the business.

“It’s been an amazing journey at Nine, and it’s been a privilege to lead the best sales team in the country to some incredible success, as we navigated a period of unheralded transformation from a stand alone TV business, to a digital first, multi-platform, content company,” said Hunwick.

“Over the last six months, I’ve been thinking about all we’ve achieved, my own future and what opportunities lie ahead. Whilst it was a tough decision to walk away from a business that’s primed for growth in an Olympic year, it’s also the most exciting time I can remember in the media industry.”

Hunwick joined Nine in December 2010 as director of sales in Brisbane, then was promoted to national director of sales for television and radio through to his current role.

“Data and technology are driving unprecedented change right across the media landscape and with change comes opportunity,” he added. “I’m looking forward to exercising my skills and experience in some new arenas where I can add value.

“The great thing I’ve learned over the years in this business is the role may change, but the friendships endure, and I wish Stepho [Nine’s chief sales officer Michael Stephenson] and my amazing group of colleagues all the best moving forward.”

Stephenson said: “Over the past 25 years, I’ve had the pleasure of working with one of my best friends. Not many people get to do that. Rich has a passion that is infectious, he is an incredible leader of people, and he cares more than anyone I know.

“There has never been a more exciting time to be in television. The pace of change is accelerating and I have no doubt that Rich will continue to have a significant impact on our industry in his next challenge.”

Hunwick will finish at Nine at the end of September, after the Paris Olympics. 

Accenture Song has broken its silence over the news of Initiative’s top brass – Melissa Fein, Sam Geer, and Chris Colter – joining the consultancy to set up a full service media arm.

“There is no doubt that media is a business growth driver and strategic differentiator for our clients,” Accenture Song ANZ President Mark Green said.

“Melissa, Sam, and Chris are strong hires for us, and their addition to our team in Australia reflects our global strategy to deliver future facing media and integrated solutions for our clients.

“Media is a growth area globally for Accenture Song and we are seeing momentum in our end-to-end media offerings in all regions. These appointments serve to extend our footprint into this market that will improve our ability to service the region.”

Accenture added in a statement: “The appointments support Accenture Song’s promise to create impact for clients through the integration of creativity, technology and media, and will significantly enhance and expand the existing media services offered to Song’s clients in ANZ.”

Competitor Adam Ferrier at Thinkerbell joked to Mediaweek earlier today: “I think at some stage soon, the entire industry will be working for Greeny.” 

Mediabrands CEO Mark Coad has not spoken to the market, but confirmed the news to staff in an email sent last night at 6:26pm and seen by Mediaweek.

Connecting Plots has bid integrated strategy and planning partner Tim Collier “an emotional ‘see you soon’” as he departs the independent creative agency after six years.

Connecting Plots CEO and founding partner, Tom Phillips, wrote about the news on LinkedIn on Saturday:

“It’s not goodbye… it’s see you soon. Earlier this week, we said an emotional ‘see you soon’ to Tim Collier after a massive 6 years at Connecting Plots.

“I felt it important to reflect on Tim’s time with the agency and share my deep felt gratitude to his commitment, smarts and partnership.

“Tim joined us back in January 2018 in the very very early days. In the beginning we pitched and pitched and pitched and finally got our break by winning a seat on the Nestlé roster. Work then followed with Maximus, Casella Family Brands and a whole lot more before Tim decided to leave for the business the first time – a travelling itch he had to scratch.

“Luckily for us he decided to return to the agency and that’s when things kicked up a notch. In his time here he’s made some truly significant contributions. Tasked with starting our strategic offering and growing our effectiveness reputation, he’s delivered in spades along that journey.

“His significant contributions and highlights for me include winning the Menulog digital and social account, writing an Effie Award-winning paper for Fantastic Furniture, and more recently winning a 10-way pitch against some of the biggest names in the business and getting shortlisted for an APAC WARC award for Long-Term Effectiveness.”

Phillips continued: “I’ve watched in awe as Tim’s grown in maturity and smarts. Tim’s solid morals and values have made him an invaluable team member and a wonderful partner in crime. He’s never (ever) short of a point of view and he has wisdom beyond his years. His knack for nurturing relationships and talent is evident in the trust he’s built with key clients and the people he’s brought into the business.

“If Tim were an archetype, he’d be The Sage – always committed to imparting wisdom and deeper insights. His stories, whether fascinating or less so, always come from a great place of wanting to help.

“Growing an agency is no easy task, and Tim has been committed, loyal, rigorous, and fearless throughout. Many would have bowed out when the going got tough, but Tim kept going and going.

“Like any pro-sports teams you get seasons out of key players. We’ve been lucky enough to get six. But change is good for all of us. New challenges, new friends, new experiences, and adventures lie ahead. I have no doubt Tim will continue to grow and flourish as a marketing genius. And I wish him all the best for his new endeavour (which is for him to share in due course).

“For Connecting Plots he’s left us in the best shape ever. Some exciting announcements to share soon.”

–

Top Image: Dave Jansen, Tim Collier, Sophia Kang, Tom Phillips

Bendigo Bank has debuted its first major brand campaign since 2018 with a new campaign created by independent creative agency, Dig.

Dig founder Paul Rhodes said the new campaign from the B Corp accredited agency highlighted the Bank’s unique approach.

“Bendigo Bank has an ethos very much aligned to that of Dig. We are thrilled to be working with the team at Bendigo Bank, delivering a campaign that brings to life their big bank experience with human values.

“The campaign’s ‘Bigger for you’ concept reinforces the idea that Bendigo Bank is better from both an experience and impact perspective, creating a win-win for customers,” he said.

The new campaign was launched over the weekend across cinema, TV, digital, and social, and will be visible throughout the bank’s retail network from Monday. 

Bendigo Bank CEO and managing director Marnie Baker said the new campaign reinforced the Bank’s position as a compelling challenger to the major banks.

“We have worked hard to earn the trust of our 2.5 million customers and we’re ready to help even more Australians reach their financial goals,” she said.

“We are better than a big four bank because we are bigger for what matters most to customers. For your money, for your business, for your community and for you.”

Bendigo Bank general manager of marketing Sarah Bateson said the campaign captured the way the Bank continues to put the customer at the centre of everything it does.

“The Bigger For You campaign reinforces that Bendigo Bank offers the capability of the big four banks, but with the human values and customer care that we’re known for. It’s that combination of a great banking experience and positive impact that makes us the better big bank.

Bateson added, “The continued focus on what really matters to customers is why we’re consistently voted Australia’s Most Trusted Bank, and this comes through in the campaign.”

The latest Roy Morgan readership figures have been released, showing that Total News Publishing continues to reach 97% of, or 21.5 million, Australians aged 14+ each month.

Australians record 67 million interactions with news per week, and three in five news readers read three or more categories in addition to general and breaking news. The most popular were Property, Sport, and Lifestyle & Health.

State and territory mastheads have recorded large readership numbers outside their local markets, with ThinkNewsBrands attributing this to digital accessibility. Readership of state-based titles saw an incremental reach of up to +137% and most state titles saw a doubling of readership. 

Highlighting this, The Sydney Morning Herald has come in as the country’s most-read news brand, with a cross-platform readership of 7.27 million readers, followed by The Age, with a cross-platform readership of 4.7 million.

Executive editor of Nine’s metro mastheads, Luke McIlveen, said: “The news cycle has been relentless in the first quarter of 2024, and the millions of readers who turn to our mastheads for quality and accuracy have shown their willingness to invest in premium journalism.

“We’re delighted with the subscription growth across The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age and we will continue to deliver the thoughtful, independent journalism our readers expect.”

The data went on to show that the behaviours of special interest category readers prove the strength of Total News Publishing in engaging audiences. 

Readers across the top titles within the Auto, Business & Finance, and Lifestyle & Health news categories are 20%-35% more likely than the general population to have high discretionary spending.

Business category readers are also significantly more likely to be very confident in their financial situation (36% more likely than the general population).

Also from Nine, The Australian Financial Review came in as the country’s most-read premium business masthead, recording a cross-platform readership of 3.5 million people.

The AFR’s editor-in-chief, Michael Stutchbury, said the masthead’s newsroom “Is particularly pleased with the success of our digital strategy, shown by four consecutive quarters of growth in our digital-only audience.

“With our digital-only audience growing by 2.4% a year, the Financial Review has the biggest digital audience of any national newspaper brand.”

Reflecting on the results, ThinkNewsBrands CEO, Vanessa Lyons said the reach of news means “advertisers can access any audience they’re after via Total News Publishing.”

“News is ‘lean-in’ premium content. Audiences aren’t scrolling past it, they’re actively engaged, and that means much higher engagement for ads placed within news.

“At a time when ROI has never been more important, the data shows news delivers the right kinds of high quality commercially favourable audiences for advertisers.”

By Jasmin Bedir, CEO at Innocean

Another week, another article with my thoughts on the impact of AI on our industry.

I’ve had many chats with friends and peers casually over the past couple of months and increasingly what I see is fear and apathy, which are intrinsically linked.

The general consensus is that a small number of people (or shall I say tech and venture cap bros) have a lot to gain, whilst a lot of actual humans increasingly have a hell of a lot to lose: From jobs, to profit margins. But it also gets fairly personal very quickly when we consider our personal lives, our children and the concept of identity. It feels pretty much existential right now.

The idea that OpenAI would be utilised and commercialised for AI porn isn’t far-fetched in a world where 30 million users have downloaded an AI companion to cope with their loneliness. And even if you’re not lonely, but currently are on a dating app, beware of the good-looking ad exec from Darlinghurst – he or she may indeed be generated by AI and wants to sell you some crypto.

But I digress. Let me bring it back to our industry. Anyone that read this AFR article is right in asking the question of whether this sounds eerily familiar to what’s going on in our industry.

This week, we soft-launched our own custom GPT as one of our latest pilots – it contains an entire account history, its presentations as well as brand guidelines, queryable of course. This is one result of the work we have done since last June with an AI advisor. I shall report back on how this is developing, but of course, the aim is to automate menial tasks and enable our staff to focus on what matters most – creating valuable work for our clients.

But the conversations I see play out publicly in our industry, are very much limited to an ad tech/third party and efficiency level in a procurement context. I don’t see any public conversations around future job titles, what this means for our creative departments and content creators, photographers, producers?

I seriously worry that nobody wants to have THAT conversation. It’s a bit like saying the quiet part out loud, I feel. But silence isn’t going to solve anything for us right now.

So my question is, is anybody listening? If so, come and find me here and tell me about your industry experience so far (Chatham House rules apply).

If I don’t hear from you I may need to let the lovely Mediaweek people know that they need to find a better audience. Or replace me with AI.

See Also: Jasmin Bedir: What we do in the shadows

–

Top Image: Jasmin Bedir

Nine has unveiled its full hosting and commentary line-up for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, 100 days out from the Opening Ceremony.

The 9Network will screen the Paralympics across two curated linear channels – Channel 9 and 9Gem – and feature more than 20 dedicated HD live streams on 9Now. Stan Sport will also screen the Paralympics. 

Across the 9Network, there will be more than 300 hours of Paralympics coverage, with 14 hours a day of live coverage across Channel 9 and 9Gem from the Opening Ceremony on 28 August to the Closing Ceremony on 8 September. With 20 streams in full high definition, 9Now will screen every event as well as replays, highlights, and behind-the-scenes.

As the competition begins, Nine’s prime time coverage (5pm – 10:30pm AEST) will be helmed by female Paralympian Ellie Cole alongside James Bracey, and Para-athlete Kurt Fearnley. 

They will then pass the baton to Paralympic gold medallist and former Australian of the Year Dylan Alcott and Nine’s Sylvia Jeffreys live at the Mob Hotel in Paris – which will be the home away from home for the Australian Paralympic Team – who will take viewers from 10:30pm – 2:30am AEST.

Coverage will be rounded out with Paralympic gold medal swimmer Blake Cochrane alongside Nine’s Roz Kelly from 2:30am – 6:00am AEST.

Nine’s commentator and experts lineup includes Paralympian gold medalists Annabelle Williams, Ryan Scott, Troy Sachs, Kelly Cartwright, Katrina Webb and Tim Matthews; silver medalist John Maclean and Para-triathlete Kate Naess.

Alongside them will be Olympic champions Sam Willoughby, who experienced tetraplegia after suffering a career-ending injury in 2016; Cate Campbell – commentating on the swimming – and Jess Fox, who will commentate during canoe events.

Nine’s director of sport, Brent Williams, said: “The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games has the ability to captivate the world and unite a sports-loving nation.

“It provides a powerful platform to showcase our elite athletes competing on a global stage and to share their journeys with all of Australia. Nine and Wide World of Sports are proud to be the exclusive home of this incredible event and look forward to providing the most comprehensive Paralympic Games coverage ever seen in this country.”

On the path to Paris 2024, Nine’s Beyond The Dream documentary series will continue in the lead-up to the Paralympic Games, going behind the scenes to discover the untold stories of Para-athletes.

Australian Paralympian and three-time gold medallist Curtis McGrath will open his door to cameras to share his personal story in the lead-up to the Paralympic Games.

A total of 22 para-sports are scheduled, with a total of 4,400 athletes competing across 549 medal events.

The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will screen on the 9Network and 9Now live and free, and on Stan Sport, from 28 August 28 – 8 September.

News Corp Australia’s Indigenous Sport Week returns for 2024, kicking off on Monday 20 May. 

Running from 20-26 May, the editorial campaign celebrates the history and future of Indigenous Sport in Australia. This year, the campaign will be streamlined into the course of the week. Previously, the campaign ran over a month. 

The inspiration behind this year’s Indigenous Sport Week comes from Olympian Patrick Johnson, the only Australian to break 10 seconds in the 100m. 

Each year, News’ sport newsrooms across the country support the AFL and NRL Indigenous Rounds and Super Netball First Nations Round, with the coverage amplified across the business. 

The company-wide collaboration will see the campaign run across state and regional mastheads, news.com.au, The Australian, CODE Sports, and Kommunity TV. 

The 2024 campaign will put a spotlight on Australia’s Indigenous Olympic athletes in the lead-up to the Paris Olympics. The campaign will look at what it means to wear the green and gold, how athletes express their cultural identity through sport on the global stage, and initiatives like the Indigenous coaching scholarship program. 

National deputy sports editor and lead editor of Indigenous Sport Week Tim Morrissey spoke to Patrick Johnson’s role in the campaign, saying: “As chair of the Australian Olympic Committee’s Indigenous Advisory Committee in an Olympic year, Patrick has a simple yet powerful message for all Olympians and Australians alike: ‘Don’t walk in front of us, don’t walk behind us, walk with us.’

“This year, we are also incorporating elements of Aboriginal artist and former Olympic boxer Paul Fleming‘s artwork Walking Together into our campaign. Paul’s artwork, which will feature on every Australian Olympian’s competition uniform in Paris, draws inspiration from the power of the Olympic Games to bring all people together as one. As he explains: ‘We’re all athletes and it doesn’t matter where you come from.’”  

For the launch today, the Indigenous Sport Week artwork by Paul Fleming is integrated into the mastheads of The Daily Telegraph, Herald Sun, The Courier-Mail and The Advertiser, as well as Cairns Post, Gold Coast Bulletin, Toowoomba Chronicle, Townsville Bulletin, The Mercury, Geelong Advertiser and NT News. 

UM has appointed Matt Evans as managing partner to lead the strategic media approach for the Optus account.
 
Based in Sydney, Evans will work closely with the team to deliver and create market-leading value, innovation, and opportunity geared for sustainable growth, the agency said.

Anathea Ruys, CEO at UM Australia said: “Optus is a powerful Australian brand focused on developing positive connections with people across Australia. The team at Optus are leading marketers who think strategically and have a clear, well-articulated vision and plan for the brand.

“This is an account that is so energising and exciting for people to work on, I knew that we needed an incredible leader for this team and from the first conversation I had with Matt, I was convinced he was the right person.

“His wealth of experience across media agency, media partner and creative agency, combined with his nuanced and intelligent thinking, is the ideal blend for a client as world-class as Optus.”

Evans joins the media agency from dentsu’s Carat, where he was most recently head of client partnerships and worked on brands like George Weston Foods, NOVA Entertainment, Mastercard and the Sydney Children’s Hospital Foundation.

On his new role, Evans said: “It’s pretty incredible when you have that ‘stars align’ moment in your career, especially when there are ticks on so many levels. I’m pumped to be joining this incredibly talented team at UM at such an exciting time for both the agency and Optus.”

He will report to managing director, UM Sydney, Ben McCallum, who said the media agency could not pass up the opportunity to bring Evans into the team. 

“Matt has a wealth of experience across almost all facets of media and marketing and will add significant value to the development of the Optus partnership and our people here at UM. 

“Matt’s leadership of Optus’ team is critical for the ongoing success of our agency, Optus is one of the biggest and best brands in Australia and I am confident Matt will ensure Optus are consistently at the cutting edge when it comes deploying effective and engaging media campaigns. I can’t wait for his presence to be felt and seen in market.”

–

Top image: Matt Evans

Zitcha has appointed Josh Forsyth as APAC sales lead amidst the business’ global expansion.

His appointment comes as the Australian-headquartered retail media platform looks to Asia as the next major emerging retail media market, following expansions in the US, UK, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa.

In addition to growing business in Australia and New Zealand, Forsyth will help lead its push across Asia to empower retailers to monetise onsite, offsite, and in-store media assets – such as websites, social media, above-the-line advertising, display, search, email, and on-premise – to target audiences using first-party data and personalisation. 

Forsyth will report to Nick Hinsley, Zitcha’s chief revenue officer.

“Retail media in Australasia and Asia represents a significant, but so far relatively untapped opportunity for retailers, wanting to more efficiently and effectively leverage their own media assets for brand advertising partners,” Hinsley said.

“The appointment of Josh is the exciting next development in Zitcha’s continued success locally and our move into Southeast Asia and beyond. 

“While we are a technology business at heart, it is the expertise of people, such as Josh, who put customers first and become trusted advisors for retailers in this new and fast growing retail media space.

“This depth of talent and capability within Zitcha enables retailers and brands to navigate what is the third and biggest wave in digital advertising after search and social, and we’re delighted Josh is on the team.” 

Forsyth joins the retail media platform after more than eight years working in senior sales, partnerships and operations roles for major adtech businesses including Yahoo, The Trade Desk, and Vistar Media.

He said of his new role: “Zitcha is a market leading retail media platform that continues to innovate to meet the needs of retailers and brands that understand the value in building and operating effective retail media networks.

“Having watched its success from afar for a while now, I’m delighted to join the team as we capitalise on existing Australia and New Zealand opportunities and turn our sights to the phenomenal opportunities that exist across Asia.”

–

Top image: Josh Forsyth

Sparro by Brainlabs and Jack Nimble has appointed four new senior hires across the agency group.

Kiki Jones joins the creative production agency as group account director. She spent the last three years at The General Store with her most recent role as senior account director. She worked across strategy, brand identity, and client service

Also joining Jack Nimble is Morgen Mathews as senior account manager. He was previously at We The People in Melbourne, working across influencers, social, and production.

Their appointments coincide with the launch of Jack Nimble’s new creator/influencer services and expansion into an integrated offering across radio, TV, OOH, and other above-the-line channels. This year has also seen several new business wins for the agency, including several cross-business wins with Sparro by Brainlabs.

Angus Mullane, executive producer and co-founder of Jack Nimble, said: “The last few years have been beyond our expectations. Our team has exploded in size from 6 to 35, which has coincided with some of our biggest months on record. A massive part of our growth has been applying our social-first thinking to platforms outside of social.”

“Clients love that we can help them try new concepts on social, find out what their audience responds to, and then scale production up as far as TVCs, out-of-home and even full re-brands.

Mullane added: “Both Kiki and Morgen are a key part of this growth as they live and breathe social media and also bring a wealth of knowledge working across integrated campaigns for some of the biggest brands in Australia.”

Sparro by Brainlabs has also made two new senior hires. Michael Sparkes returns to the agency as group SEO director. He previously worked at Sparro for 4 years as SEO lead and then as creative performance director, before returning home to the UK for 2 years.

Morris Bryant, partner and co-founder of Sparro by Brainlabs, welcomed back Sparkes and added that his return fits into the agency’s broader strategy.

“When he first joined us 6 years ago, he was an integral part of our maturation into a fully-fledged digital agency. Now he’s going to be a major part of our next growth period.”

Lauren Nixon-Smith also joins Sparro by Brainlabs as senior digital marketer from News Corp Australia, where she was client success director.

She will lead a team of paid media specialists across a client list that includes MYOB and Domino’s APAC media account — a brand with whom Sparro has been working for seven years.

Bryant said that developing their knowledge and capabilities is key to retaining and growing clients. “It’s why we’ve been making senior hires over the last 12 months, and it’s why we’ve focused on growing our service offering too.”

“We’ve built the most advanced data science team of any indie agency in Australia, grown our creative and production offering with Jack Nimble, and are building unique-in-market AI-driven products across SEO and paid media,” he added.

Since January, Sparro and Jack Nimble have made two other senior hires, plus 12 mid-weight new starters across paid media, SEO, graphic design, creative, social management and affiliate marketing.

News of the appointments at the independent digital marketing agency and creative production agency comes after Sparro was acquired by British digital marketing agency Brainlabs earlier this year.

See Also: Sparro by Brainlabs founders: “We’re not going anywhere” following acquisition

–

Top image: Kiki Jones, Morgen Mathews, Lauren Nixon-Smith and Michael Sparke

oOh!media has named The Unexpected Guest, an Australian breakfast food products company, the inaugural winner of its inaugural Indigenous Business Grant. 

The grants were launched to support Indigenous small businesses with pro-bono and significantly discounted out of home media packages. The Unexpected Guest was one of 63 submissions received from a wide range of Indigenous companies across a range of categories, including FMCG, labour hire, and retail.

Sarah Young, group director, ESG, oOh!media said: “The quality of submissions for our first Indigenous Business Grant were outstanding and we want to thank all those that took the time to apply.

“Amongst the strong contenders was The Unexpected Guest, an innovative business that has demonstrated ongoing success and resilience and we are delighted to help support Jenny and this First Nations small business with national audiences at scale across the oOh! network.”

Founded in 2016 by Jenny Khan in southwest Sydney, The Unexpected Guest creates products that promote health and wellbeing. These include health bars and organic mueslis made with native ingredients and sourced from Australian-owned businesses. In addition, it supports organic and fair trade practices.

The breakfast food company was selected by oOh!’s assessment team because of its entrepreneurial spirit, growth ambitions, and commitment to working with like-minded partners to advance First Nations commerce.   

Khan, director and owner of The Unexpected Guest, said: “As a fully First Nations Australian small business, we love bringing our great tasting organic breakfast products to the tables of people across the country.

“Driving awareness of the brand continues to be a challenge, so being chosen by oOh! for its first Indigenous Business Grant will give us much needed exposure to help us realise our objectives. We’re thrilled our efforts have been recognised in this way and can’t wait to work with oOh!’s team to share The Unexpected Guest with more Australians.”

The out of home media company launched its inaugural Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) to strengthen awareness of, and relationships with, First Nations people last year. It is currently in the development phase of the Innovate RAP, the next stage of the RAP Framework, that focuses on strengthening relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and piloting strategies for further reconciliation commitments. 

Following the significant interest and applications for the inaugural Indigenous Business Grant, oOh!media will open applications for the 2025 initiative this December.

–

Top image: Jenny Khan and Sarah Young

Social media users prefer informative and relatable over entertaining and aspirational when considering spending money.

The preference for information over entertainment content on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram was among the findings in a new survey of more than 1,000 people across Australia by Social Soup, presented at its second annual Influence Upfronts in Sydney on Thursday.

The research revealed the top five types of content that influence consumers are informative, relatable, authentic, creative, and friendly.

More than half of the participants (52%) surveyed said informative content had the most impact on their buying decisions.

‘Relatable’ was mentioned by 40% of people, followed by authentic (35%), creative (35%), friendly (32%), inspiring (26%), and educational (22%). Meanwhile, 18% said entertaining and only 7% said funny.

The influencer agency’s survey found 81% of respondents had bought an item through Instagram or TikTok in the past 12 months because of content they had seen.

However, buying was not always driven by a relationship with the content creator. The survey revealed 27% of people had never followed the social media account that prompted them to purchase the product.

Unsurprisingly, video led as the most influential content in driving purchases; 36% of people said Instagram Reels swayed their buying decisions while 26% said TikTok.

Social Soup asked participants what they did after watching the content that that “swayed” or influenced them, 64% of said they researched the product, service or experience seen on social media, while 59% said they bought the product, service or experience.

Sharyn Smith, Social Soup CEO, said: “At first glance, the findings of the research are surprising. Some of the most-watched content on social media is funny and entertaining, but that isn’t going to work as well for brands and marketers as content that you might think as comparatively dull, that is, content that is informative and relatable.

“What we are seeing is the evolution of social content from a commercial point of view. Traditional creator and campaign content and strategies are not going to work as well with consumers as they did a few years ago.

“We’re seeing a return to real, grassroots influence. People want less aspirational and more relatable content than ever before. Big, aspirational, entertaining, mass- media ad campaigns might work with some consumers on some occasions, but that isn’t the case when it comes to social.”

In addition to the report findings, the Influence Upfronts also featured a discussion between Social Soup account director Emma Woods and Huw Bonello, digital engagement manager of R U OK?, the non-profit suicide prevention organisation, about working with influencers via Social Soup for the past three years to increase awareness and drive conversation.

This was followed by panel discussion led by Jess Hope with creators Luccas Pereira, Luana Marchi, Bella Haig and Shanelle George who shared their insights on Gen Z driving change with purchase behaviour, influence on the algorithm, and the importance of authenticity.

See also: If Meta pulls news, readers are ‘savvy enough to work it out’: Social Soup’s Sharyn Smith

–

Top image: Smith

TV Report 19 May 2024:

Nine TV Report

Travel Guides

Nine’s evening began with the premiere of the new season of Travel Guides.

New guides Karly and Bri join the gang in Northern India and Nepal, where they stayed at an Ashram, frocked up at an Indian wedding and marvelled at the Taj Mahal. 

NRL – Storm v Eels

The Storm v Eels game on Nine saw the Storm dominate, winning the game 48-16 at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.

Seven TV Report

Farmer Wants a Wife

On Seven, Farmer Wants A Wife saw the last day of the farm stays before the Farmers and ladies head to the big smoke for the Farmer Wants a Wife Black Tie evening. Emotions ran high and one lady was sent home.

7NEWS Spotlight

The program conducted a worldwide investigation into the ‘Kidney Cult’ operating in Australian suburbs and investigated if they played a part in a ‘Jonestown’ style tragedy that claimed the lives of 429 people. 

10 TV Report

The Sunday Project

The Sunday Project looked into women fighting back against medical misogyny, spoke to Noland Arbaugh on why he trialled the world’s first Neuralink chip and also spoke to Aussie legends, Grinspoon. 

MasterChef Australia

On 10’s MasterChef Australia, the ingredient gamble returned and so did Luke Nguyen. He brought with him an array of Southeast Asian ingredients that the contestants got to cook with in last night’s two-round elimination challenge.

ABC

Call the Midwife

Trixie supported an underage mother through a difficult time, Monica Joan welcomed an unusual guest to Nonntus House and Sister Veronica spearheaded a new council initiative. 

After the Party

Following Midwife was After the Party, as when a new accusation against Phil surfaced, Grace was terrified that he would abandon her again. Penny’s behaviour went from bad to worse.

SBS

Philae the Last Temples of Ancient Egypt

Today, in Egypt, the temples of Philae stand out as one of the most iconic attractions of the Ptolemaic era. Philae was the last stronghold of the ancient Egyptian religion. Located on the island of Aguilkia, the sanctuary was initially on the island of Philae, which is now underwater.